Back fins
After I finish a sculpture, I photograph it from as many angles as I can. It’s a great way to explore perspective and composition.
At Hodgepodge through December
The finished Skullfish
View from the top
View from the back
Almost done….
Rainbow pearlescent on top of black and white, before varnish.
Finally starting to paint the beast
I’m going to paint the Skullfish a soft sparkly white/ grey. The paint gets applied in several layers. I’ll start with a flat black primer, followed by a base coat of black urethane paint. I’ll go back in with white to create a range of tones. The rainbow pearlescent goes on top of that, followed by a clear coat. Each layer of paint gets applied by airbrush in several passes.
Fill primer on and ready for wetsanding
Fill primer is a spray paint that fills in small cracks so that an extremely smooth surface can be achieved after sanding. Wetsanding helps keep the sandpaper from clogging and also prevents dust from getting into the air.
Skullfish Progress
Sanding the fins smooth before adding scales ☠
Skullfish Progress
Filling in the gaps between bumps and adding ridges to the fins. Once I have most of the sculpt roughed out, I’ll go back with a rotary tool and sandpaper to smooth the surfaces and add more details.
View from the back
The sharpie dot marks where I’ll add the next fin. I’ll start by drilling a hole so I can make sure to get the most solid bond possible between the fresh and cured clay.
Starting the tail
I sewed crafting mesh together to make the armature for the fins. Having an armature gives me something to build off of so the fresh clay keeps its form.
Progress
Building out the bumps
Starting something new
Customizing this skull I found and catching rainbows with my window prism.